James Timothy Shelnut

James Timothy Shelnut, Sr., former chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, entered into rest

on the 20th day of April 2023.

Mr. Shelnut was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and was preceded in death by his father, Boss Willie Shelnut, and

mother, Vera Tench Shelnut Crout, as well as his beloved first born daughter, Julie Anne Shelnut and his sisters,

Rebecca Shelnut Tomczak and Sylvia Shelnut Goss.

He is survived by his two sons; James Timothy (Bubba) Shelnut, Jr. and Jeffrey Keith Shelnut (Brandi) his two

daughters; Jessica Allyn Shelnut Albritton (Neal) and Jamie Lauren Shelnut; his five grandchildren; Brooke, Ali,

Jackson, Alex, and Payton, as well as two great grandchildren; Palmer and Hudsyn.

Despite being a Butler High School dropout, Mr. Shelnut became one of the most successful businessmen to arise

from the Augusta area. Mr. Shelnut was recognized as one of the best recruiters and promoters in the insurance

business, where he recruited over 7,000 agents nationwide and grew his insurance company from 250 million in

assets to over 6 billion in just 9 years. He ran his company in Seattle for 10 years.

Although a leader in the insurance business, Mr. Shelnut also arranged two international interviews, one in 1983 with

Polish President, General Yaraljoski, on lifting the martial law in Poland. The interview was conducted by Barbara

Walters of ABC News. Mr. Shelnut traveled with Ms. Walters to Poland for the interview.

The second interview was in 1984, with the President of Russia (and former head of the KGB) Yori Andropov. Mr.

Shelnut interviewed all major TV networks, but selected the now deceased international interviewer, David Frost to

conduct the interview. As it turned out, the interview never took place due to the unexpected death of President

Andropov just prior to the interview.

Mr. Shelnut and his daughter, Julie, were very active in supporting many children’s organizations in downtown

Augusta. He served on the following boards: The University Hospital Foundation, Doctors Hospital, Medical College

of Georgia, Augusta Downtown Development Authority, The Pinnacle Club, and American Red Cross. He also served

as chairman to raise 30 million dollars for the cancer research center at MCG. He personally donated 1 million dollars

to University Hospital for diabetes research. Mr. Shelnut contributed $600,000 for a tract of land towards the

construction of Grovetown Middle School, as well as a 40 acre tract of land for a horse show arena and stables to be

built. He was a generous man and always put others first. He will be missed dearly by the community and his family.

Mr. Shelnut always said that even with all he accomplished in life, his proudest achievements were his 5 children:

Julie, Bubba, Jeff, Allyn, and Jamie.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, April 24, 2023 at Westover Memorial Park.

 The family will accept visitors at the funeral home from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m on Sunday, April 23, 2023